Roll-forming processes are typically used to manufacture components such as construction panels, structural beams, garage doors, and/or any other component having a formed profile. A roll-forming process may be implemented by using a roll-forming machine or system having a sequenced plurality of work rolls. Each work roll is typically configured to progressively contour, shape, bend, cut, and/or fold a moving material. The number of work rolls required to form a component may be dictated by the characteristics of the material (e.g., material strength, thickness, etc.) and the profile complexity of the formed component (e.g., the number of bends, folds, etc. needed to produce a finished component). The moving material may be, for example, strip material (e.g., a metal) that is pulled from a roll or coil of the strip material and processed using a roll-forming machine or system. As the material moves through the roll-forming machine or system, each of the work rolls performs a bending and/or folding operation on the material to progressively shape the material to achieve a desired profile. In some examples, the profile may be a cross section of a hem (i.e., a rolled or bent edge), which is typically either an open tear drop hem or a closed tear drop hem.
A roll-forming process may be a post-cut process or a pre-cut process. A post-cut process involves unwinding a strip material from a coil and feeding the continuous strip material through the roll-forming machine or system. In some cases, the strip material is leveled, flattened, or otherwise conditioned prior to entering the roll-forming machine or system. A plurality of bending, folding, and/or forming operations is then performed on the strip material as it moves through the work rolls to produce a formed material having a desired profile. The continuous formed strip material is then passed through the last work rolls and moved through a cutting or shearing press that cuts the formed material into sections having a predetermined length. In a pre-cut process, the strip is passed through a cutting or shearing press prior to entering the roll-forming machine or system. In this manner, pieces of formed material having a pre-determined length are individually processed by the roll-forming machine or system.
One known roll-forming machine incorporates a plurality of work rolls that are ganged (e.g., mechanically coupled and driven) together to form a hem on the top edge of a strip of material. Additionally, this known roll-forming machine includes a plurality of work rolls that are ganged together to form a flange on the bottom edge of the strip of material and a tab forming die to form a tab on the strip of material. The work rolls to form the hem, the work rolls to form the flange and/or the tab forming die are vertically adjustable to accommodate different strip heights. In operation, to complete the hem, the strip material is doubled over within the space provided between the last opposing hem forming work rolls.
Another known roll-forming machine incorporates a plurality of work rolls to form a hem on a material. The radius and shape of the last work roll (e.g., a finishing roll) controls the profile of the hem (e.g., typically either an open hem or a closed hem). To adjust the hem profile, an operator must remove and replace the last work roll with a work roll that has the desired radius and shape.